Physical Sciences Division Staff Awards & Honors

January 2013

Sebastien Kerisit Elected Geochemistry Program Chair for Prestigious Chemical Society

Sebastien Kerisit, ACS Geochemistry Division Program Chair-Elect

Congratulations to Dr. Sebastien Kerisit at Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory on being elected Program Chair-Elect
of the American Chemical Society's Geochemistry Division. In this role, Kerisit
will shape geochemistry discussions, from space exploration to environmental
cleanup, at the world's largest scientific society. With his colleagues from
around the world, he will guide these discussions by requesting, selecting, and
promoting topics for the Geochemistry Division.

"This new role requires a proactive approach,"
said Kerisit. "You need to be able to engage people and zoom in on the
topics the community really needs."

Kerisit was chosen because of his outstanding organizational
capabilities and the diverse nature of his research. For years, Kerisit has
organized symposia and given talks at ACS national meetings, as well as at
other conferences. At PNNL, he conducts research on minerals and glasses and
their interactions with aqueous solutions for carbon capture and sequestration
and nuclear waste management. He is also conducting fundamental research into the
mechanisms of mineral nucleation and growth and the reduction-oxidation properties
of natural systems.

Kerisit will begin his four-year term in January 2013. He will
be Program Chair-elect for calendar year 2013, Program Chair in 2014, Geochemistry
Division Chair in 2015, and Past Chair in 2016.